HORIBA MIRA Presses Industry to Speed Up EV Adoption

Amid Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) recent announcement to invest over £1bn in electric car production, global engineering consultancy HORIBA MIRA is calling on the industry to accelerate the development and public adoption of such vehicles in the UK.

Last week, Britain’s
largest carmaker revealed it will build an electric version of the Jaguar XJ
saloon at its Castle Bromwich factory1. Despite investing in electric
vehicle manufacturing, electronic drive units and battery assembly plants in
the Midlands, JLR has called for the creation of multiple ‘gigafactories’ in
the UK to provide the large volumes of battery cells it will need. In the
absence of a major UK manufacturer, these are currently imported from Asia2.

The announcement comes as
latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), show
that sales of cars with alternative fuels – including battery electric vehicles
and hybrids – were down 11.8% in June compared with the same month last year3.

Welcoming JLR’s investment
in electric vehicles as a vital step forward, automotive engineering, research and testing firm
HORIBA MIRA is encouraging the industry, through robust testing and
development, to address the current issues deterring consumers from opting for
such vehicles. This includes customer perception on so-called ‘range anxiety’
as well as the overall cost of electric and other alternative fuel vehicles.

Greg Harris, Global
Electrification Services Lead at HORIBA MIRA, said: “Jaguar Land Rover’s
commitment to the future development of EVs is a positive move for the UK
automotive industry.

“However, as an industry more
needs to be done to overcome challenges of customer perception, which is something
we are consistently working on to ensure the next generation of vehicles are
safer, cleaner and smarter.

“In recent years, the UK’s
capabilities in producing cleaner vehicles has expanded rapidly – but consumer
appetite still has a long way to go. The only way to truly increase the number
of people willing to make the transition to electric cars is by investing in a
rigorous development, testing and evaluation programme that adequately
communicates the latest technological advances to consumers.”

HORIBA MIRA’s investment
strategy in test facilities for electric vehicles and battery systems includes the
recently-launched Advanced Battery Development Suite (ABDS); a specialist
facility that enables companies to perform testing on full battery packs and
battery pack components both physically and in simulation.

Greg adds: “HORIBA MIRA
has been working with low carbon propulsion and battery systems for over 15
years, and much of what we do is understanding the performance and
characteristics of battery cells. Our ABDS enables us to carry out such
activities at extremely high resolution and accuracy, and also allows us to
investigate the energy efficiency and durability of EV batteries – a move that
is critical in demonstrating the long-term viability and credibility of these vehicles to the end customer.”

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